Billy Boyd (born 28 August 1968) is a Scottish actor and singer most widely known for playing the characters Peregrin "Pippin" Took in Peter Jackson's epic film trilogy The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003), Barret Bonden in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), and Glen in Seed of Chucky (2004).

Biography

Boyd is an avid surfer and spent his free time surfing in New Zealand during the production for The Lord of the Rings. He also holds a Grade 7 in foil fencing. He trained in martial arts at the Krauseworld Academy in Glasgow under brothers Steve Krause and Mike Krause where he achieved Phase 4 rank in both Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Kali. He topped a list of the 100 Most Eligible Men in Scotland in 2002.

He owns a house in Glasgow with his wife, Alison McKinnon. The couple had their first child, a boy named Jack William Boyd, was born on 26 April 2006. He and McKinnon were married in a ceremony with 30 guests at Oran Mor in Glasgow's West End on 29 December 2010. The wedding was attended by castmates Elijah Wood and Dominic Monaghan. A reception was held afterwards for about 130 guests.

Boyd has a tattoo of the Elvish word "nine" written with the Tengwar script, a reference to his involvement in The Lord of the Rings, and the fact that his character was one of the nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring. The other actors of "The Fellowship" (Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen and Orlando Bloom) got the same tattoo with the exception of John Rhys-Davies whose stunt double got the tattoo instead.

He remains close with The Lord of the Rings co-star Dominic Monaghan. Monaghan revealed in an interview for the national breakfast television show GMTV that he continues to see Boyd on a regular basis, as he is "essentially, kind of, godfather to his kids." Boyd is one of the patrons of Scottish Youth Theatre, Scotland's National Theatre 'for and by' young people. He is also the patron of the National Boys' Choir of Scotland.

Holidays in Scotland
In 2008, Boyd fronted VisitScotland's Perfect Day Campaign, and talked of his love of surfing in Scotland, particularly in Machrihanish near the town of Campbeltown in Kintyre in the west coast of Scotland, and Pease Bay and Coldingham Bay on Scotland's east coast. In an interview about the campaign with The Scotsman on 28 July 2008, he said: "I don't really do much promotional stuff but felt that with this one I could be honest... I'm very proud of where I come from and I get very excited if a friend comes over and I can show them around.

, 1h34OriginUSAGenresDrama, Comedy-dramaActorsJosh Hutcherson, Hayden Panettiere, Lauren Bacall, Alfred Molina, Dina Eastwood, Billy BoydRoles BernieRating54% Joshua Mason (Josh Hutcherson) is a troubled 15-year-old who is abandoned by his mother in a motel. Joshua finishes a painting someone had started at the mission and sells it for fifty dollars only to be caught by the artist. After living there for over a week, he manages to create several pieces of art; on the walls, mirror and ceiling before abandoning the place. A social worker, Vanessa Reese, is called by the manager about them and the boy, because the manager hasn't seen the boy's mother for sometime.

, 1h39OriginCanadaGenresDrama, Comedy, Crime, RomanceThemesMedical-themed films, Films about drugsActorsAdam Sinclair, Kristin Kreuk, Billy Boyd, Carlo Rota, Colin Mochrie, Keram Malicki-SánchezRoles WoodsyRating52% Frustrated with her boring middle class and loveless marriage, Heather Thompson (Kristin Kreuk) seeks a change in her life. At a club, she finds just that in happily partying Lloyd Buist (Adam Sinclair), a drug user. Heather falls hard for Lloyd despite the fact that most of their time spent together is under the influence of illicit substances. As they experiment with this new lifestyle, they are faced with the question of whether they love their drugs, each other, or are just drugged into loving each other.

, 1h36Directed byCharles Martin SmithOriginCanadaGenresDrama, Comedy, Action, Adventure, CrimeThemesHeist films, Gangster films, EscroquerieActorsCharlie Cox, Billy Boyd, Robert Carlyle, Kate Mara, Peter Mullan, Brenda FrickerRoles Bill CraigRating67% In 1950 Ian Hamilton (Charlie Cox), an ardent member of the Scottish nationalist organisation, the Scottish Covenant Association, hopes to end what he sees as the political and economic subjugation of Scotland by England. Frustrated and saddened by the complacency of his fellow Scots who seem to accept the status quo, he looks forward to a time when Scotland is no longer merely referred to as "North Britain". After a petition to the British Parliament for the establishment of Scottish home rule is rejected, Hamilton decides to perform a symbolic act to put heart into the movement. With his friend, Bill Craig (Billy Boyd), he creates a daring scheme to bring the Stone of Scone back to Scotland from Westminster Abbey in London, where it has resided for centuries following English military victories over the Scots in the Middle Ages.

, 1h45Directed byGaby DellalOriginUnited-kingdomGenresDramaActorsPeter Mullan, Brenda Blethyn, Seán McGinley, Jamie Sives, Billy Boyd, Jodhi MayRoles DannyRating69% The story is set in Glasgow, Scotland near the banks of the River Clyde. After completing the construction of the ship RFA Mounts Bay, Frank Redmond (played by Peter Mullan) and a few of his co-workers are laid off from the shipyards after 36 years service. This, along with his grief still suffered over the drowning of one of his sons many years ago, plummets Frank into a deep depression. He gets on well with his wife, Joan (Brenda Blethyn), but their relationship is distant. His other son, Rob (Jamie Sives), is a devoted house husband who looks after his twin sons, while his wife, Angela (Jodhi May) works full-time at the local Jobcentre. Rob has a troubled relationship with his father, feeling the guilt of being the 'surviving' son.